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Writing for Guidelines in Practice: instructions for authors

Authors are advised to follow these instructions carefully to ensure that their article is processed smoothly and quickly

If you have been given a brief, it is important to follow it. We have a narrow remit, and articles that stray from their brief are likely to be returned for amendment before acceptance.

All articles submitted for publication should not have been published before or be currently submitted to any other publisher.

Feature articles should normally be 1000–1500 words in length, 'personal view' articles should be 500–800 words, and editorials around 550 words. Letters should be brief, preferably no more than 250 words.

Tables and diagrams, particularly algorithms, are welcomed. Note that we do not include abstracts.

Submission of articles

Articles may be submitted as follows (in order of preference):

• By email to the editor, Julia Morris, at julia.morris@mgp.ltd.uk
• On disk: most formats are acceptable
• As hard copy.

Hard copy or disks should be sent to: Julia Morris, Guidelines in Practice, MGP Ltd, Salter House, 263–265 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 1AB .

We will also need a head and shoulders photograph of the main author. A high resolution electronic version is preferable.

State the first forename and surname, job title and place of work for each author, and provide contact details for the main author, i.e. postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address.

It is particularly important to provide an email address so that proofs of your article can be emailed to you.

Style points

• Define any abbreviations and acronyms in full at the first mention
• Use metric and SI units wherever possible (except for mmHg)
• Use approved names of drugs
• Check all calculations and percentages – not forgetting those in tables.

Tables, diagrams, and graphs

All tables, diagrams, and graphs/charts should be mentioned in the text. It is essential to provide electronic versions of diagrams and graphs in the application in which they were created (e.g. PowerPoint or Excel), so that we can reformat or resize them if necessary. For graphs and charts, please provide sufficient data for these to be redrawn if necessary.

Key points

Please include key points for GPs, and practice-based commissioning take home messages (if appropriate); these will appear as bulleted points in separate boxes.

References

Use the Vancouver style (numbers in text; reference list at end of article), and provide full details of any published work cited, including:

• Names and initials of all authors
• Full title of the paper or document
• Date (year) of publication
• Name of publisher and place of publication
• Inclusive page numbers.

Copyright

Authors assign copyright of their article to Guidelines in Practice, but may use up to 15% of their own work after publication without seeking written permission, provided that the original source is acknowledged. We would be grateful to receive notice of when and where such material has been reproduced. Authors will require written consent to reproduce substantial parts of their own material.

Checklist for authors

When submitting your article, please ensure that you: Keep a copy of the article and any tables, diagrams, etc. Include your postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address Supply a high resolution, electronic, head and shoulders photograph Define in full at the first mention all abbreviations and acronyms used Use metric and SI units wherever possible Include citations in the text for all tables, diagrams, and charts that accompany your article Check all calculations, including percentages Provide full reference details for all cited research Confirm all references are in Vancouver style

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